Own less. Live more. Finding minimalism in a world of consumerism.

a slave to the clock dial

for three months, i have been set free from the bounds of time… or at least a clock on my wall. when i minimalized my office, i removed my clock from the wall and had not returned it – partly on purpose and partly because i hadn’t found the right one to put up.

what began as just a search for the right new clock, became an interesting study in western culture lifestyle. every time my head jerked to the upper right corner of my office to check the time, i was reminded of how our culture is held captive by the passing seconds. and because my wall was vacant, i was able to take special notice of my longing to know the time. it was just an empty wall with no answers. (if you would like to try it yourself, tape a piece of paper over the clock on your wall – you will also take special notice of how often you check the time during a typical day). and that didn’t even count the number of times i checked my watch or computer clock. to further the experiment, i even stopped wearing my watch for a few weeks.

after the first 30 days, i looked to the wall less and less often. i rarely do anymore. unfortunately, it is not because i have been set free from the tyranny of the clock dial. it is only because i became accustomed to using the clock on my computer.

and thus, today, i returned a clock to my office wall (pictured above). my enslavement to the passing time is far greater than the removal of the hands from my wall.

About Joshua Becker

Comments

We have only one dedicated clock (in our bedroom), but then we also have our cell phones, the tv guide, our computers, and the stove. It seems like a lot when I write it out, but most of the time I have to make at least a tiny effort to see what time it is if I’m not in front of my computer (though that is a lot of time).

For a while we meant to get some wall clocks, but we couldn’t find any we liked. Now, I think we’ve more or less decided not to buy any. .

I’m a Registered Nurse and frequently used my watch to take vital signs, time meds and keep my daily schedule. When my watch no longer worked, I realized every room had two wall clocks and every hallway had a clock. I never bought another watch.